# わかる
## Japanese
### Etymology 1

* Alternative spellings
* 分かる 分る (dated) 解る 判る 理解る (uncommon)
From Old Japanese. Derived as the passive or intransitive conjugation of Old Japanese root verb 分く (waku, “to separate, to break into pieces; to be separable or distinguishable”). Compare transitive 分(わ)ける (wakeru).
As the passive or spontaneous conjugation of waku, the verb wakaru could be translated more directly as something like "it comes apart [for me / he / she / etc.]", roughly analogous to English "I can see how it comes apart" → "I can see how it is put together".

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) わかる [wàkáꜜrù] (Nakadaka –)
* IPA: [β̞a̠ka̠ɾɯ̟]

#### Verb

わかる • (wakaru) intransitive godan (stem わかり (wakari), past わかった (wakatta))
* 分かる, 解る: to be understandable, to understand
    はい、分(わ)かりました。
       Hai, wakarimashita.
       Yes. I understood.
* 分かる: to tell (one thing from another), to distinguish
* 分かる, 判る: to be recognized, to be realized
** 2011, Barack Obama, 中東と北アフリカに関するバラク・オバマの演説, translation of "Remarks by the President on the Middle East and North Africa":
    これがどれほど困(こん)難(なん)であるかは判(わか)っている。
       Kore ga dore hodo konnan de aru ka wa wakatte iru.
       I recognize how hard this will be.
* 分かる: to become known, to turn out
    分(わ)かった！
       Wakatta!
       I've got it! / I know!

##### Usage notes

In recent usage, this term may be more commonly spelt in hiragana.
The Japanese verb wakaru is most often glossed as to understand. However, wakaru is intransitive, and it takes the thing that is understood, distinguished, or recognized as the subject (usually marked by particle が (ga)), and not the object (usually marked by particle を (o)). Strictly speaking, wakaru is thus closer to English to be understandable, as the verb wakaru describes the thing itself, unlike English to understand, which describes the action of the person doing the understanding, distinguishing, or recognizing.
Despite the above, the form with を and transitive usage also exists, although this may be proscribed, and is not reflected in some dictionaries.
Wakaru can take an agent (what would be the subject of the English verb to understand) marked by the particle に (ni) or a topic marker.
* *私が分かる (incorrect, ❌)
* 私に分かる (correct, ✔)
* 複(ふく)雑(ざつ)でも、（私(わたし)に）この事(じ)情(じょう)が分(わ)かる。
    Fukuzatsu de mo, (watashi ni) kono jijō ga wakaru.
    Although it's complicated, this situation is understandable (to me).
Compare the difference in usage of transitive verb 知る (shiru, “to know”).

##### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | わから | wakara |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | わかり | wakari |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | わかる | wakaru |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | わかる | wakaru |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | わかれ | wakare |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | わかれ | wakare |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | わかられる | wakarareru |
| Causative | わからせる わからす | wakaraseru wakarasu |
| Potential | わかれる | wakareru |
| Volitional | わかろう | wakarō |
| Negative | わからない | wakaranai |
| Negative continuative | わからず | wakarazu |
| Formal | わかります | wakarimasu |
| Perfective | わかった | wakatta |
| Conjunctive | わかって | wakatte |
| Hypothetical conditional | わかれば | wakareba |
Stem forms :
| Irrealis (未然形) | わから | わから | wakara |
| Continuative (連用形) | わかり | わかり | wakari |
| Terminal (終止形) | わかる | わかる | wakaru |
| Attributive (連体形) | わかる | わかる | wakaru |
| Realis (已然形) | わかれ | わかれ | wakare |
| Imperative (命令形) | わかれ | わかれ | wakare |
| Key constructions ||||
| Negative | わからず | わからず | wakarazu |
| Contrasting conjunction | わかれど | わかれど | wakaredo |
| Causal conjunction | わかれば | わかれば | wakareba |
| Conditional conjunction | わからば | わからば | wakaraba |
| Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | わかりき | わかりき | wakariki |
| Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | わかりけり | わかりけり | wakarikeri |
| Perfect tense (conscious action) | わかりつ | わかりつ | wakaritu |
| Perfect tense (natural event) | わかりぬ | わかりぬ | wakarinu |
| Perfect-continuative tense | わかれり わかりたり | わかれり わかりたり | wakareri wakaritari |
| Volitional | わからむ | わからむ | wakaramu |

##### Derived terms

* 分(わ)からず屋(や) (wakarazuya)
* 分(わ)かり切(き)る (wakarikiru): to be completely clear by common knowledge
* 相分(あいわ)かる (aiwakaru)

##### Related terms

* 分(わ)ける (wakeru): to divide, to split things up, to separate, to classify, to sort out; to split something; to share something (by breaking it into parts)
* 訳(わけ) (wake): reason for something
* 脇(わき) (waki): the side of something (especially a side branch or limb that separates from a main body or trunk); armpit

### Etymology 2

* Alternative spellings
* 分かる 別る 分る (dated)

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [β̞a̠ka̠ɾɯ̟]

#### Verb

わかる • (wakaru) $^†$nidan
* Classical Japanese form of わかれる (wakareru): to split, to fork, to branch off

##### Conjugation

Stem forms :
| Irrealis (未然形) | わかれ | わかれ | wakare |
| Continuative (連用形) | わかれ | わかれ | wakare |
| Terminal (終止形) | わかる | わかる | wakaru |
| Attributive (連体形) | わかるる | わかるる | wakaruru |
| Realis (已然形) | わかるれ | わかるれ | wakarure |
| Imperative (命令形) | わかれよ | わかれよ | wakareyo |
| Key constructions ||||
| Negative | わかれず | わかれず | wakarezu |
| Contrasting conjunction | わかるれど | わかるれど | wakaruredo |
| Causal conjunction | わかるれば | わかるれば | wakarureba |
| Conditional conjunction | わかれば | わかれば | wakareba |
| Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | わかれき | わかれき | wakareki |
| Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | わかれけり | わかれけり | wakarekeri |
| Perfect tense (conscious action) | わかれつ | わかれつ | wakaretu |
| Perfect tense (natural event) | わかれぬ | わかれぬ | wakarenu |
| Perfect-continuative tense | わかれたり | わかれたり | wakaretari |
| Volitional | わかれむ | わかれむ | wakaremu |

##### Derived terms

* 分(わ)かれる (wakareru)
* 別(わか)れる (wakareru)

### See also

* 分(わ)ける (wakeru)

### References

* ↑ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN